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Pics of Dodge Monaco's please


57peppershaker

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Thanks for posting.

Great build Sam, what chassis is under there or did you just mod the original ?

I'll post mine as soon as I get chance to load them on photobucket.

Just hacked a ton of plastic from the kit chassis, it looks like crud under there, but you can't see it anyway.

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I've only built a few of these, but here are the majority of the ones I've built.

78monaco008-vi.jpg

Pro Street version on a Super Bee Chassis

IMG_67591-vi.jpg

My 'Custom Beater'

And my favorite of the bunch-

A restoration of a built up Force 440. And there's a story there- turns out, one of the other MCM members, Steve (spkgibson) actually helped his uncle build the original model back when it was new!

Before-

IMG_64462-vi.jpg

And after-

IMG_71281-vi.jpg

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Well, I've built a couple.

78no1-vi.jpg

This is a '78 "Force 440" kit converted to a four-door. In 1981, that was the only way to get a Monaco, and a number of these conversions showed up in the original Scale Auto Enthusiast. Were I to do this again (why?), I'd do a better job on door lines. But this was the first time. The Testors paint has really yellowed over 30 years.

78testshot-vi.jpg

This is a test shot of the '78 Monaco (as it was designated at the time) that I got from Tom West in 1982 just before the kit was released. This showed up in my first story for Scale Auto Enthusiast. I did it as a fictional San Francisco Fire Department vehicle. Note that the front and rear bumpers are painted silver. Parts came to me unplated, so I stole grills and hubcaps from the "Force 440" kit. Wheels are from the AMT '69 Chevelle kit--a common practice at the time, even though the Mopar wheels have six slots instead of the Chevy's five. But it's what there was.

tjhooker1-vi.jpg

This is the "TJ Hooker" kit. I did a lot of little modifications to the basic kit and built this. This particular model eventually became the box art model for the AMT "Joker Goon Car/Gotham City Police Car" kit that AMT released in 1989. I had contracted to build the Goon Car and a cop car for the box art, but couldn't meet the deadline, so I sold this to AMT. It was destroyed in photography. One goofy story--I added all kinds of parts from other kits to the interior to get a better looking appearance. I added a steering wheel and the whole radio set up from a Yodel Plymouth kit. Since AMT had the interior exposed, they photographed it and used that on the box. Modelers howled when they found out they couldn't duplicate the interior with the parts in the box. Wouldn't be the last time....

78ycso-vi.jpg

This was built for "Build and Detail Scale Model Trucks and Emergency Vehicles" in 1997. The interior and dash also showed up in "Build and Detail Model Cars Like a Pro" in 2001.

78nsp-vi.jpg

Oddly enough, the latest Monaco is another "Force 440" kit. Nebraska State Police actually did use '77 and '78 Monaco two-doors for patrol cars. Who can resist that? Still using the Chevy wheels, but it's good looking. This was built for Tim Boyd in 2001 for his book "Collecting Model Car and Truck Kits."

Couple more things to come....

Terry

Edited by Terry Jessee
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And a couple more....

78dirt-vi.jpg

This is "The Dirty Old Dodge," a model that showed up as the cover story for SAE in January of 1984. Still sitting in my case 27 years later. That one was my first of literally hundreds of stories in the past 25 years.

78dare-vi.jpg

This is my one and only slammer. The wheels are glued into the AMT '67 Chevelle pro-street chassis, and the windows are painted black from the inside. Markings are done by hand.

hillst1-vi.jpg

Working on this project. This'll be a not-entirely-accurate Plymouth Fury for my movie car collection.

And here's a little preview of another Mopar cop car I'm working on....

model8-vi.jpg

Modelhaus California Highway Patrol '62 Chrysler Newport Enforcer. What looks to be a simple conversion has been a lot of work. But it's close....

Terry

Edited by Terry Jessee
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I've only built a few of these, but here are the majority of the ones I've built.

78monaco008-vi.jpg

Pro Street version on a Super Bee Chassis

IMG_67591-vi.jpg

My 'Custom Beater'

And my favorite of the bunch-

A restoration of a built up Force 440. And there's a story there- turns out, one of the other MCM members, Steve (spkgibson) actually helped his uncle build the original model back when it was new!

Before-

IMG_64462-vi.jpg

And after-

IMG_71281-vi.jpg

Yes the story is true, I helped him on the Force 440 when I was 7 years old, He built model untill he went totally blind, in '92. He bought me my very first glue kit the year I was born, It was a MPC 73 Duster. I used to go over his house every weekend when I was a kid, Slam together my models, Untill he helped me get better. I lost my uncle back in '94 , Basically everything I build know is stuff I built as a kid, Only better, I still remember the paint and glue smells from his hobby room he had set up, I'm glad to see such a great restoration on that car that ment so much to me when I was a kid. I sound mushy, But it brings back so many great memories for me just seeing the before photos. He was my mentor. Thanks for sharing the car again Chuck. Take care of it for me.

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DSCF1505.jpgLets try again

DSCF1506.jpg

OK, posted but must be still doing something wrong ???

Anyways, the white 1 was built at least years (20 odd ?) from a Goon car. Due a rebuilt soon.

After reading Terrys SAE article on how to build the Dirty old Dodge, again 20 years ago ? I thought I'd build one. Then saw a pic of a Monaco Taxi in UK mag Street Machine, so thought combine the 2 & build a dirty old Taxi.

It got dented, dinged & painted ect but never finished, though I still have it. A few weeks ago on the Rods & Sods forum, a Monaco Taxi was listed for sale & I bought it, pic above. Turns out its the same Taxi that I saw in the mag years back !

Terry, you still got a copy of the article you could email me ?

Edited by 57peppershaker
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I wish some one would re-issue those Yodel "Big American's" again.

I see them once in a while on evilbay, and the prices are ridiculous!

I have one of the original issue LAPD kits.

I buuilt 2 of the Force 440, and one TJ Hooker.

I never was able to get the Goon/Gothom kit. But then, The used AMC's & Ford Fairmont's in that movie and Not MoPars!

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Wow, 2 nice Monaco's from Mr Leopold. Shame cant save the pics to post them.

Great interior detail with Sheriff hat & shotgun ect.

Does anybody cast resin Sheriff's hats ?

Only 1 I can find, is part of a truck cab set. Great set including, sleeping driver (in sleeping bag, not at the wheel lol), sports bag, suitcases, dog, cooker, coat, hats ect ect. I wouldnt use most of it, so just looking for hats.

Edited by 57peppershaker
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